Rio Grande Regional Hospital Celebrates The American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day
February 18, 2013
Rio Grande Regional Hospital Celebrates The American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day
[Photo] Rio Grande Regional Hospital “Ladies in Red” from Back L-R: Dora Brown, RGRH Board of Trustees; Fredericka Borland, M. D., RGRH Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Debbie Brooks, RGRH Board of Trustees; Kathy Dassler, RGRH Chief Nursing Officer; Front L-R: Jennifer Almonte-Gonzalez, M. D., RGRH Department Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Cris Rivera, RGRH Chief Executive Officer; Irma Garza, RGRH Board of Trustees
Cris Rivera, CEO of Rio Grande Regional Hospital (RGRH), is making sure her hospital helps raise awareness about preventing and treating heart disease ―the number one killer of women. On Friday, February first, RGRH employees are encouraged to wear red and celebrate the tenth anniversary of National Wear Red Day.
In 2003, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, took action against a disease that was claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year – a disease that women weren’t paying attention to, a disease they truly believed, and many still believe to this day, affects more men than women.
Stemming from that action, National Wear Red Day was born. It’s held on the first Friday in February every year to raise awareness about heart disease being the number one killer of women. According to the American Heart Association great strides have been made in the past ten years with 21 percent fewer women dying of heart disease and 23 percent more women being aware that heart disease is their number one health threat. But, there is more work to be done:
- Coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the single leading cause of death for American women.
- Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women.
- 71 percent of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu (often with no chest pain at all).
- Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
- Men's plaque distributes in clumps, whereas women’s distributes more evenly throughout artery walls. This results in women's angiographic studies being misinterpreted as normal.
"It's important for women to keep heart healthy,” said Rivera. “Taking care of ourselves and staying healthy allows us the opportunity to meet the needs of our families, friends, co-workers and the communities we serve. However, it is also imperative that we educate our children and families about heart disease and make sure they know that it can be prevented with healthy habits.”
The Rio Grande Regional Hospital cardiovascular team believes in putting their hearts into caring for the hearts of their community. And that’s saying a lot. RGRH has the only pediatric heart program in the Valley working collaboratively with other members of the healthcare community to prevent, diagnose, and treat cardiovascular diseases in both adult and pediatric patients. It is the ONLY pediatric heart program in the Rio Grande Valley performing:
- pediatric open heart surgery
- pediatric cardiac intervention
- pediatric electrophysiology
Rio Grande Regional Hospital invites the media to help raise awareness of heart disease in women, its unique symptoms and the importance of early intervention. We welcome photographs or video recording of our enthusiastic employees in red and Dr. Guillermo Salinas, Interventional Cardiologist, is available for interviews in our Catheterization Lab from noon to 12:30. Thank you for supporting our efforts to prevent and treat heart disease. For more information please contact:
Kimberly Wiesehan • 956-632-6102
Kris Muller •713-852-1563
Rio Grande Regional Hospital
Founded in 1982, Rio Grande Regional Hospital is a full service medical facility serving the Rio Grande Valley. With physicians representing over 35 specialties, Rio Grande Regional Hospital along with the Children’s Medical Center at Rio Grande Regional Hospital offer an array of comprehensive services including: full surgical and diagnostic capabilities, Cardiac Care; Surgical Services; Radiology; Women’s Services; Diabetes Management; Intensive Care; Neonatal Care; Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy; Advanced Level III Trauma Services, and an Off-Site Emergency Department. Rio Grande Regional Hospital is proud to be the first and only hospital in the Rio Grande Valley with a Pediatric Heart Program. For more information, visit our website at www.riohealth.com.